


Even the smartest of creatures need to be saved.

by driftwolf (dragoninthesnow)



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M, Future Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-16
Updated: 2014-02-16
Packaged: 2018-01-12 15:23:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1190106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragoninthesnow/pseuds/driftwolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lydia Martin is the Head of Research at NYU, her dream job. She was finally invited to the National Collegiate Research Conference, the most prestigious research conference in the nation. The conference is in Denver, where her high school and college sweetheart, Scott McCall, resides and works as the head veterinarian at the Wild Animal Sanctuary. She decides it's a good idea to let him know she'll be in town.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Even the smartest of creatures need to be saved.

**Author's Note:**

> A big thank you to my wonderful friends who read over the fic and helped me stay motivated to finish it. You know who you are.

Lydia read the first two sentences of the invitation about six times.

_You have been invited to the National Collegiate Research Conference. Please join us for a time of learning from the top colleges and universities across the nation._

She’d been dying to go to this conference since her first year of undergrad. It was basically a bunch of researchers from all the most prestigious colleges giving each other ideas about researching. Which would be boring to most people, but Lydia wasn’t most people. It would be the intellectual adventure of a life time. She kept reading.

_The University of Denver has won the opportunity to host the conference this year._

There were probably two more paragraphs of delicious information about the conference, who would be there, who would be speaking, etc. Lydia didn’t care - she couldn’t get past the location. _Denver._

Denver. Home of the Wild Animal Sanctuary. Home of the Wild Animal Sanctuary’s head veterinarian. Home of her prom king, college sweetheart, and ex-boyfriend: Scott McCall.

_Lydia, pull yourself together. Of course you’re going. No, you don’t have to see him._

But who was she kidding? She wanted to see Scott. She wanted to know how he was doing. She wanted to hear about Stiles, Allison, Isaac, Derek, all of them! She missed her friends. She missed her family. She missed her pack. She hadn’t seen any of them in three years. She had been the one who left everyone to study research at NYU to get her Master’s and Doctorate. She had been the one to “break up the group,” as Scott had said, when she decided to stay at NYU and work as the Head of Research - a job that had never been offered to a woman before. (She was offered the job at age 29.)

She had been the one who said no to moving to Denver to marry Scott.

Of course she was going to call him.

She reached for her phone and scrolled through her contacts. _Scott McCall. 303-386-4804._ She pushed call. The phone rang twice and then -

“Hello?”

Lydia’s heart immediately froze. _He’s just a man. He’s just a man._

“Scott? It’s Lydia.”

“Lydia. It’s, um, it’s good to hear from you. How are you? How’s your job?”

“It’s great! It’s amazing. I’m the luckiest girl in the world.”

“Probably only according to you,” Scott said, laughing. _Thank God he laughed._

“Yeah, probably. But, um, I wanted to tell you. I was invited to the National Collegiate Research Conference. This year it’s in-”

“What? That’s great! You’ve been wanting to go to that since college!” _Of course he remembers that. Of course he’s excited for me. Scott McCall remembers all._

“Yeah! It’s very exciting! But Scott, the conference is at DU.”

There was a pause here. She almost said his name again, when he finally responded.

“I get to see you? I mean, is that why you called?”

“Yeah, I thought we could get together. Have a drink, or something.”

“Or smoke some weed. It’s legal here now, ya know.” Lydia laughed. He was still the same Scott McCall she fell in the love with.

“Yeah, whatever you want, Scott.”

“How long are you here for?”

“Well, the conference is 4 days. I thought about coming for a week?” She instantly regretted saying that. What if he didn’t want her to be there that long?

“Wow, so much time.” _Oh shit._ “That’s awesome! You can come out to the Sanctuary! I’d love to introduce you to all the animals. There’s this one tiger - I swear she should be named Lydia - who just knows everything. She’s one step ahead of every other tiger, all the time. She’s brilliant.”

“Oh, wow. I’d love to meet them all! I’ll go ahead and book my plane ticket. I’m going to stay downtown, close to DU.”

“Good idea. There are some stellar restaurants there.” _Restaurants. Dates._

“Great! I’ll see you in a month.”

“Okay. It was so great to hear from you, Lydia. I can’t wait to see you.”

“Okay, bye.”

“Bye.”

Lydia put the phone down on her desk and smiled.

 

  
*

  
Lydia held her purse close and held onto the handle of her roller carry-on bag as she went down the escalator in the Denver airport. Her eyes darted back and forth, searching for Scott.

She saw him and instantly smiled. There he was, that stupid grin plastered on his face. He was wearing a shirt that said “Wild Animal Sanctuary: Will Take Donations” on the front, khaki pants, and Vans. He was and will always be Scott McCall, goofy idiot who wears ridiculous clothing.

“How was your flight?” Scott asked. He reached for Lydia’s roller. She let him take it.

“Fine. I only fly first class now,” she said. She smirked at Scott who started laughing.

“Same Lydia.”

“Same Scott.”

They didn’t speak again until they got into Scott’s car. Lydia hoped he’d finally gotten rid of the motorcycle, but she knew it was probably at his house.

“Thank you for coming to pick me up. I know the airport is kind of far.”

“Oh, it’s fine. I live out here anyway. The sanctuary is about 10 minutes from the airport, so it was convenient for me.”

“Well now you have to drive me all the way-”

“Lydia, it’s fine. I’m happy to.” He reached over and grabbed her hand.

_Wow. So this is how it’s going to be._

“Pull over,” Lydia said.

“What? Why? What’s wrong?”

“Pull over, Scott McCall. Trust me. You won’t regret it.”

Scott’s eyes widened and immediately swerved to catch the nearest exit. He turned onto a street with trees lining the sides for miles. It was getting dark, and there was no one around. He parked the car. Lydia immediately undid her seatbelt and leapt onto his lap.

Lydia kissed him harder than she’d ever kissed anyone before. The feel of his hands on her back instantly made the hairs on the back of her neck rise. She moved her hips back and forth, feeling him on every part of her body.

“Lydia,” Scott whispered. It felt so good to hear him say her name. He said it with passion, with love. Not lust. Love.

She pulled Scott’s shirt off, and her shirt was off shortly after. The feel of his skin against hers made her heart thump even harder.

“I missed you. I missed you so much,” Scott said in her ear between kisses.

“I missed you, too,” she said in reply. She had wanted to say it for three years but never had the chance.

She reached down for his pants and began unbuttoning. Luckily she had a skirt on. Scott fumbled with her underwear, his warm hands heating her up even more.

Once he slid into her, she couldn’t stop moving. Back and forth, as fast as possible, as if she had to hurry before the moment faded away. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She couldn’t believe she was with her Scott again. She was with the love of her life. Why had she left him? What had compelled her to -

Her body shook with her orgasm, and Scott practically screamed with his.

She collapsed onto him, breathing heavily, the sweet smell of sweat and sex filling the car. Their bodies were practically glued together with sweat.

Scott wrapped his arms around her and and held on, tightly. He didn’t let go. They didn’t move for what felt like ages. She didn’t want to move. She was in the one place she wanted to be. The one place she had dreamed of being for the past three years.

“I love you, Lydia Martin. I always have,” Scott whispered between deep breaths.

“I love you, too,” she replied. She didn’t know if she should say it or not, but she wanted to. She couldn’t hold that in.

“Should we get you to your hotel now?”

“After what just happened, I’m going to need to eat an entire pizza first.”

Scott laughed and finally loosened his grip. He pushed her back and cupped her face in his hands.

“You speak the words of a goddess.” Lydia laughed. Scott smiled and kissed her, and then he easily picked her up and put her back in her seat. She pulled her underwear and shirt back on, and Scott buttoned up his pants. His shirt, conveniently, stayed in the back seat.

“One large pizza coming right up, young lady,” Scott said. He started the car and drove back toward the highway. Lydia reached over and grabbed his hand. She didn’t let go until they pulled up in front of the hotel.

 

  
*

  
Lydia woke up the next day in Scott’s arms. He had held her the whole night, as if he wasn’t ever going to let her go.

After checking in, Lydia and Scott had left for pizza. When they got back, Lydia made it clear she didn’t want Scott to go home. They had been up almost all night, talking and making love, then talking more and making love again.

Scott had talked about all the animals at work. He told her about the smart ones, the cute ones, the mischievous ones. He told her about how his Alpha nature helped the Sanctuary a lot because of all the different animals they had there. No one at work knew he was a werewolf, so he simply had to say he was good with animals.

Lydia ranted and raved about how wonderful her job was, too. She talked about all the different people she was able to meet, the different projects her students were working on. She was working on a book about electricity and auras, which is what she had been studying since Kira Yukimura had shown up in Beacon Hills.

Each time they had sex, Lydia felt closer and closer to Scott. Each time felt more intimate. She had screamed so loud once that Scott started to change as he orgasmed for the fourth time.

After that round, Lydia had held his werewolf face in her hands.

“I love seeing the real you,” she had said.

“It feels nice to be able to show someone,” he replied.

It was the most magical night of her life.

But it was almost ruined by her looking at her alarm clock. 8:30 am. The conference started at 9:00 am.

“Scott! I have to be there in 30 minutes!” Lydia yelled as she struggled out of his grip.

“Good thing we showered at 3 am last night,” Scott said smugly, slowly rolling over onto his back.

Oh yeah, she had almost forgotten about the shower sex.

“That seat in the shower is the perfect height. I remember when we used to try to have sex in my dinky, gross shower in college. That was impossible. But this? This I could get used to.”

Lydia threw her pillow at him.

“I have to get ready. Are you still going to meet me for lunch?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said. He got up and started to get dressed.

“Tell all the animals at work I said hello!”

“Tell all the geniuses at your conference I said to stay away!”

Lydia laughed, ran over to him, kissed him, and ran into the bathroom. She heard the door to the hotel room open and close. _Now to seem sophisticated again._

 

*

  
Lydia walked into the conference room at 8:58 with Starbucks in hand. She found the check in desk and picked up her nametag and complimentary flash drive, which said “National Collegiate Research Conference Attendee” on the side of it.

She walked up to the front of the room and took a seat on the front row.

The first day of the conference was fascinating. The first speaker was the Head of Research at UCLA, who was an older man with so much knowledge in his head, Lydia didn’t know how he stood up straight. The list continued with other Heads of Research from different schools like Harvard, Columbia, Baylor, etc. Lydia had her iPad on her lap and took as many notes as she could.

When lunch finally rolled around, Lydia started towards the door when someone called out her name.

“Lydia! Lydia Martin! NYU!”

She turned around to see the first speaker, the one from UCLA, calling her name.

“Yes, that’s me,” she said.

“Won’t you have lunch with us? We’re just going to eat in the dining hall here at the school - we hear the food’s really tasty!”

“Oh, I actually-”

“We’d love to!”

Lydia turned around to see Scott, dressed in a button up and slacks - he owned those? - standing behind her. _Oh my fucking God. He is never allowed to wear that again._ She started to feel a tingle between her legs. She turned around to face the man.

“Oh, and who is this?”

“I’m a good friend from college. I haven’t seen Lydia since undergrad, so we were planning on having lunch today. But we can reschedule, right, Lydia?”

Lydia didn’t turn around. She couldn’t look at Scott without picturing all the things she wanted to do to him.

“Of course! Let’s go. Thanks for the invite!”

They started following the man towards the dining hall.

“You better stop thinking about what you’re thinking about because I can smell it, and it’s driving me insane.”

“You’re driving me insane. Since when did you own a pair of slacks?”

“A man’s gotta wear something decent every once in a while.”

“Well, warn me next time.”

Lydia heard a low growl come from Scott’s throat, and she shot him a death glare.

“Be good, wolf boy.”

“You know I always am.”

He was. He most definitely was. Some of the most intellectual minds of the modern age, as Lydia would call them, were hanging on Scott McCall’s every word. Why would she expect any less? His outlook on life was so positive, so full of sunshine, that these men who are usually researching “gloom and doom” just couldn’t get enough of him.

She was proud. Proud that her Scott could impress these people. Not that he was dumb - he graduated top of his class from vet school - but he didn’t think like these people. He was caring. He was loving. He was observant. He wanted to help people.

He was a true Alpha.

When lunch was finally over, Scott asked Lydia if she would show him where the bathroom is.

_Naughty, naughty._

After 7 minutes in heaven in the handicap bathroom, Lydia touched up her make up and kissed Scott goodbye.

“I’ll pick you up at 5,” Scott said as he walked away.

“Okay, bye!” She waved and smiled.

_I can’t believe this is happening. National Collegiate Research Conference. Sex with Scott McCall every five minutes. This is my week from heaven._

  
*

  
Lydia said goodbye to the men and women she had eaten lunch with once the first day of the conference was over. Most of them asked her to bring Scott back the next day. She said she would ask and walked away, hoping he would coming back the next day, too.

Scott was outside the building, not standing next to a car, but a motorcycle. He had changed into cargo pants, a t-shirt with a sewn on pocket, and a leather jacket. Memories of high school and college flooded her mind.

“Your chariot awaits,” he said.

She looked down at her skirt and heels. She looked back up just in time to see Scott toss her a bag.

“I bought you something nice. Try it on for me?”

Lydia rolled her eyes and went back inside to change.

Scott almost slipped off of his motorcycle when Lydia walked back out. He had bought her leather pants, a simple v-neck t-shirt, and black boots from Nordstrom, but he hadn’t expected her to look that good. He saw a couple of the older guys from other colleges watch her walk all the way from the building to him. He raised his eyebrows at them and smiled.

“Well, um. I think I did okay?”

“The pants are a little tight, but I don’t know if that was on accident.”

Scott handed her a helmet and smiled.

“I don’t know if it was either.”

Scott started driving south, which she hadn’t expected. They left downtown and started driving through the suburbs, and eventually they were driving on the edge of the greater metro area, closer to the mountains.

“It’s beautiful out here,” Lydia said as they were stopped at a stoplight.

“Yeah. I wanted to take you somewhere with some real character. We’re both going to fit in pretty well.”

They pulled up to a run down building that had a sign that read, “Bud’s Bar.”

“Burgers and beer sound okay to you?”

“I’m here for the character,” Lydia said. She got off the bike and started walking inside. Scott caught up to her and grabbed her hand.

When they walked inside, everyone turned and looked at Lydia. It was a biker bar, through and through. Older men and women filled the place, cigarette smoke and stale beer smell hung in the air. A lady behind the bar smiled and waved.

“Scott, so good to see you! Usual?”

“Usual times two, please!”

They walked over to a booth and squeezed in.

“This is definitely character,” Lydia said, looking around at all the shady characters.

“You’re not scared, are you? You know I could take any of these guys.”

“Yeah, I know. Nothing can get past the big bad true Alpha,” she said. “I’m glad we’re here. I want to see what your life is like. I want to live in your life.”

“I want you to live in my life, too. I always have.”

Lydia looked away. She knew he had. He had _proposed._ And she had walked away.

Luckily the lady from behind the bar came to the table with two pints of beer and two burgers.

“Who’s this lovely lady?” she asked.

“This is Lydia. She’s a friend from college. She’s here from New York!” Scott said. He took a big swig of beer.

“Well, welcome to our little neck of the country, Lydia. Make yourself at home.”

She walked away, and Lydia stared at her.

“It’s like we made our way into the south even though we’re in the middle of the West. I always thought you belonged in the south where people are nice,” Lydia said.

They ate their burgers and talked. Lydia talked about her conference - the different people she’d met, the different speakers. Scott talked about his day at work. He told her about a bear who didn’t seem to want to eat anymore.

“He’s depressed. So I told him I’d bring him a pretty girl to meet later this week, and he cheered up a bit.”

Lydia laughed, and they kept chatting. Just like old times.

It was habit for her to take the pickles off of Scott’s plate which he had taken off his burger. It was habit for Scott to drink half of her beer because she really wasn’t that into it. And they fell into those old habits. Again, just like old times.

When they finally got back to the hotel, Scott hopped off the motorcycle and pulled Lydia into a kiss. It was warm and wet, a little excessive for public, she thought, but she went with it.

“I’m gonna go home tonight. You’ll be okay without me until tomorrow?”

Lydia tried not to look disappointed.

“Yes, but may I ask why?”

“Because I need to get some sleep and you definitely need to get some sleep. We can’t have you falling asleep at your conference.”

Lydia rolled her eyes.

“Fine. I’ll see you at lunch tomorrow?”

“Of course.”

 

*

  
The next few days were about the same. Lydia would wake up in the morning – alone – and go to her conference. Scott would meet her for lunch, and then he would pick her up for dinner. They would go to one of Scott’s favorite places, sometimes local, sometimes a chain. They talked about their days; they reminisced about college; and they would talk about their friends.  
  
Stiles seemed to be doing well. He was working in the FBI, and Scott made it clear to Lydia he wasn’t supposed to know that. But of course Stiles told Scott.  
  
Derek was abroad – Scott didn’t know where – helping some new werewolves find a pack. He had become a sort of Professor X in that kind of way. When he wasn’t abroad though, he was with Stiles.  
  
Allison, whom Lydia was most interested in, had married Isaac. They were living in Florida. That’s all Scott knew. _I need to make a point to talk to Allison more._  
  
Lydia had told Scott that she had completely cut off ties with all of them – the entire pack – once she had decided to take the job at NYU. She didn’t want to think about any of them and what she had done. So she distanced herself to the fullest.  
  
Scott had been so understanding. She was thankful for that. Thankful he hadn’t brought up the biggest thing she had turned down. He was gentle with her on every subject about her leaving, and it made talking to him easy.

 

*

  
The last night of the conference, Lydia secretly hoped she wouldn’t have to spend the night alone again. When she exited the conference building, she saw Scott with his car this time, not the motorcycle.  
  
“Too cold for you?” Lydia asked.  
  
“No, your luggage is in the back,” Scott replied.  
  
“Oh, why? I have my hotel room for 3 more nights.”  
  
“I checked you out early. Took a little convincing since I don’t have your credit card, but I had a key, so they let me. It’s time for you to come to my place. And time for us to stop sleeping alone.”  
  
Lydia smiled. Her heart raced. She missed the feel of his skin, the warmth of his body on top of hers. They hadn’t had sex since the quickie in the handicap bathroom on the first day of the conference. She was desperate for him.  
  
“I like the sound of that.”  
  
“First, are you hungry?”

 

*

  
After they ate dinner, Scott drove them out to his place. When they exited off the highway, Lydia noticed that it was the same road they had exited on when Lydia made him pull over at the beginning of the week.  
  
“I knew no one would be on this road. That’s why I exited here,” Scott said, as if reading her thoughts.  
  
“Oh, I didn’t realize this was your driveway,” Lydia said, marveling out how Forrest Gump-like the road to his house seemed.  
  
“I bought the place like this. Some Alabama royalty chick had to move out here because her husband got a new job. So she built herself a little bit of the south. I thought it was perfect.”  
  
Lydia loved how he was such a southern gentleman even though he grew up in California.  
  
“Well, it’s beautiful.”  
  
“You’re beautiful.”  
  
Only Scott could make something so cheesy sound so incredibly sexy.  
  
“Drive faster, Scott, or I’m not going to be able to make it inside.”  
  
Scott sped up, laughing. When they finally reached the house, Lydia’s mouth dropped. It was practically a mansion – easily eight or nine rooms – with a barn in the back. It was only 20 minutes from Denver, but it felt so secluded.  
  
“This is... amazing. Perfect. Exactly what you needed. I figure you use the barn for full moons?”  
  
“If I’m having a rough month, yeah. It’s great to have. I also seem to be running a kind of werewolf hotel. Some lone wolves pass through here sometimes, find my scent, and come running for shelter. I let them stay a couple days, and then I tell them they either have to move on or start paying rent.”  
  
“Have you had any pay rent?”  
  
“Yeah, actually. Ethan and Aiden. Only for a month, though. I didn’t like it, but I couldn’t let them starve or freeze to death. It was the middle of February.”  
  
“You have a heart of gold, Scott McCall. Now take me inside to at least one of those bedrooms.”  
  
“Oh no, not a bedroom. You thought the shower at the hotel was nice? Just wait until you see my set up.”

 

*

  
Scott was right. His set up was much better.  
  
The shower was practically a room of it’s own. There were multiple showerheads, and they came down from the ceiling, like a waterfall.  
  
Scott had opened the door of his car for Lydia and carried her in, kissing her the whole way there.  
  
The moment she saw the shower, she instantly started ripping her clothes off while trying to keep her lips glued to Scott. Scott did the same, and soon they were under the waterfall shower together, naked and wet.  
  
The feel of his wet skin against her body made her shiver all over. She almost had a hard time standing. She was so weak with pleasure, even though they were only kissing.  
  
Scott moved his hands down Lydia’s body until one of them found its way between her legs. She gasped, and her knees gave out. Scott grabbed her with his other arm and pushed her up against the wall of the shower.  
  
Her moans were practically screams as Scott moved his fingers inside of her. She was close to ecstasy when she pushed him away.  
  
“What?” Scott asked, breathing hard.  
  
She stepped forward and started kissing him, then started moving down his body with her lips. She could feel Scott begin to weaken. She could hear him saying her name, his every word dripping with pleasure.  
  
When she finally had her mouth on him, Scott almost fell over himself. He reached up and grabbed the showerhead to balance himself. Seeing his body completely stretched out made Lydia crazy.  
  
Scott stopped her suddenly and picked her up with both arms. He pushed her up against the wall again and slid into her, hard. Lydia moaned his name and clawed at his back, pulling him into her even more. They moved together, their wet bodies sliding against each other. She was so thankful for Scott’s strength as he easily held her up against the wall.  
  
When they both finally climaxed, Scott slid to the floor of the shower, Lydia still on top of him. They sat in the shower, panting.  
  
Scott kissed her ear.  
  
“I have a surprise for you,” he whispered.  
  
“Oh god. You’re going to have to give me a few minutes before I’m ready to go again,” she replied.  
  
“Oh no, not that. Although I’m going to need to eat an elephant in about five minutes.”  
  
“What is it?”  
  
“We have tickets to see Vampire Weekend at Red Rocks tomorrow,” Scott said.  
  
Lydia perked up, and instantly kissed him hard on the mouth.  
  
“No way. I’ve always wanted to go to a concert at Red Rocks. And Vampire Weekend? They’re like, my favorite band!”  
  
Lydia’s early 20’s flared for a minute as she stood up and started practically jumping up and down.  
  
“I’m glad you’re excited. It’s tomorrow. So I figured we’d go to the Sanctuary in the morning, I’ll give you a tour, we’ll have dinner, and then we’ll head out to the concert. Sound good?”  
  
Lydia wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her wet, naked body against him.  
  
“That sounds perfect.”

 

*

 

Lydia woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs. There was a flower on the bedside table and a note that said, “Get dressed, sleepy head. Big day.” She looked at her phone. It was 5:30am.

“Scott McCall, it is 5:30 in the morning! The sun isn’t out yet!” Lydia yelled.

“Yes I am!” Scott yelled back.

Lydia huffed then got out of bed. She got her stuff from her suitcase and went to the shower room. Memories of the night before flooded her mind. The shower sex. The bed sex. The kitchen sex. _Good thing I had to sleep alone during the conference._

Suddenly she felt sad. _We’re not really talking about the big issues. How I said no. How I’m leaving at the end of this week._ If _I’m leaving…_

“Hey, hurry up! I want to get to the Sanctuary by 6:30, okay?”

Lydia was thankful for his interruption. She nodded and got in the shower.

  
*

  
They pulled up to the Sanctuary at 6:25, and Lydia kept her face glued to the window. It was such a pretty area, and she could already see animals roaming the grounds. A couple camels were running along the fence. On the other side of the street, three black bears were climbing some trees.

“Is one of those bears depressed?”

“Yeah, one of them was. He seems to be better now that we have a female. We got her yesterday.”

“Ah, young love,” Lydia said. She kept looking around.

“This is incredible. I can’t believe you work here.”

“I love going to work every day. Every day is better than the last. Though I don’t know if anything will top this week.”

Scott reached over and grabbed Lydia’s hand.

When they reached the main entrance, Scott parked in his designated spot that read, “Head Veterinarian, Dr. McCall.” They got out of the car and Lydia started walking towards the entrance.

“Oh, Lydia, we’re going in the staff entrance. There’s something I want to show you.”

They walked through the door that said, “Staff Only.” Lydia grabbed Scott’s hand. She wanted to make sure people knew she was with him.

They reached a room with huge windows for walls, and Lydia gasped.

Four lion cubs were playing and rolling around in some hay that was on the ground. A lioness, the mother, watched as her cubs played and romped throughout the room.

“These guys were born about a month ago. The day you called, actually. I was so excited that you were going to be able to meet them. I named the one with the reddish tint Lydia.”

“I thought you weren’t supposed to name wild animals. You get attached.”

“I’m already attached to one Lydia. Why not two?”

He turned and started walking toward another room, when a woman burst into the hallway.

“Dr. McCall! It’s Annika! Something’s wrong!”

Scott started running after the woman, and Lydia started running after him. The woman was already behind the wheel of a golf cart when she made it outside. Scott jumped in next to her and Lydia sat behind them in the backseat.

They raced down a path for what seemed like forever, and finally they saw a group of visitors standing on a bridge, looking down at something.

The golf cart came to a stop, and Scott jumped out. The woman followed him. Lydia walked up the bridge so she could get a better look.

Scott and the woman jumped the fence and ran down the hill to the banks of a stream that ran under the bridge. A tiger was on its side next to the stream, its body shivering from quick breaths.

“Did anyone see what happened?”

No one answered. The woman handed Scott a bag, and he pulled out a few tools. Lydia knew he wouldn’t use them though.

He pressed a stethoscope to the tiger’s chest, but he also placed his hand next to it on the animal. He closed his eyes.

He was listening. He was feeling this tiger, trying to find out what was wrong. He was trying to see what he could do to help it.

“I think I know what’s wrong. I think I know how I can help her. Get on the other side of the fence. I don’t want her to wake up scared and hurt you.”

The woman did what Scott said and joined Lydia on the bridge.

Scott started rubbing the tiger’s chest in a circular motion.

“Everyone step back!”

Everyone did, except Lydia. Lydia knew Scott wouldn’t let the animal hurt her. Not after he used whatever healing powers he had to relieve this animal of its pain.

The tiger suddenly started taking in deep breaths. She slowly moved to stand up, and then she pounced over Scott and ran off down into the woods.

Everyone started clapping.

“That was amazing!”

“We’re so glad she’s safe!”

“Are you the head vet?”

“I’m glad I got pictures of that!”

Lydia smiled and clapped as well. Scott looked up at her, a smile resting on his lips as well.

“That’s the one I was telling you about! The really smart one! Sometimes even the smartest of creatures need saving.”

For some reason, those words triggered something in Lydia, and her heart sank. She knew what he was saying. And she was right. She had needed saving. She hadn’t told Scott everything. Not yet. He had saved her this week, whether he knew it or not.

But she was scared. Scared to tell him, even though she could talk to him more easily than she could talk to anyone else.

She took off her heels and started running. She started running away from him. Away from Scott. Away from the man who only wanted to love her.

But how could he love someone who was so broken inside? How could he love someone who was so used and ragged?

Tears streamed down her face as she ran. She could barely see where she was going.

She reached the end of the path. A fence stood in her way. Don’t be an idiot, Lydia.

But she was. She jumped over the fence and kept running. She knew Scott could find her - he could always follow her scent. But she needed to run and be alone for at least a few minutes. She wasn’t being fair to Scott. How could she do this to him?

She found a tree with a low branch and climbed onto it. She put her back against the trunk and stuck her head in heads, crying. _He needs someone who can give him everything. And it’s all been ripped away from me._

Suddenly she heard a low growl from above her. Lydia slowly looked up.

A black leopard was two branches above her, swinging its tail back and forth. It’s yellow eyes looked straight at her. She knew she should scream. Scream for Scott. But she was paralyzed - both by the beauty of the creature and the terror she felt.

The leopard started to slow get into position to pounce. _Scott. Scott, help me._ She thought. She knew he couldn’t hear it, but she hoped he would be there.

Just as the leopard leapt towards her, something else slammed into the leopard.

Lydia looked down to see Scott on top of the leopard, his teeth bared. His eyes glowed red with power - he was definitely the Alpha of this place.

The leopard immediately started to quiver. Scott roared, and the leopard took off.

Lydia shivered and cried.

Scott jumped onto the branch, and slowly his human face took over again.

“What were you thinking jumping the fence?”

“Even the smartest of creatures need saving,” she whispered.

“I didn’t mean to upset you. Lydia. Talk to me. What’s going on?”

“I’m used, Scott! I’m all used up! I’ve been run ragged! I’ve had sex with I don’t know how many guys in New York! I have woken up in so many different beds with so many different men. I couldn’t help it. I was addicted to it. The thrill of finding new men to seduce. The thrill of drugs and alcohol. Of course I know they’re horrible for you. I couldn’t help it. I was addicted. I couldn’t stop.”

Scott looked at her intensely. She expected to see hurt in his eyes, or anger, or disappointment. But all she saw was concern.

“Damn you. Damn you! You’re the reason I was like that. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. About the mistake I made. So I drowned you out with other men. You wouldn’t believe the things I’ve done, Scott. The way I’ve been used. The way I’ve been handled.”

She stopped. She couldn’t look at him. She couldn’t look into his eyes and see whatever emotion may be there now.

“I’m so sorry, Scott. I’m so sorry for this week.”

“I’m not.”

She looked at him. She didn’t see concern this time. All she saw was anger. No, not anger. Rage. She knew it - their perfect week was over. She had ended it early. She couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“I’ll kill them. I’ll kill them all.”

“What?” Lydia didn’t understand.

“How could a man call himself a man and do that to a woman?”

“But, it was me. I did it. I asked them for it. They didn’t force themselves upon me. I welcomed them with open arms.”

Scott looked down. His teeth started to sharpen; his ears started to lengthen.

Lydia reached out and touched his face. He looked up. His eyes shown read with fury, but the moment he locked eyes with her, it faded. The concern flooded back into them. His human face slowly started to emerge.

“I love you, Scott McCall. I always have. I’m sorry that you’ve been sleeping with a used up-”

“Stop, Lydia. I love you, too. And I don’t care what’s happened to you. You’re still my Lydia. You’re still you, on the inside. And even if you only show it to me, that’s all I need. I need you.”

Lydia smiled. She felt happy. Happiness that wasn’t spoiled. She instantly felt clean, washed. The feelings of guilt swept away by Scott McCall.

_“Lydia. I hate to say this, but…”_

Oh no, what the hell could he say now?

“We have a concert to go to, and I know you’re going to want to change and fix your make up. I would take you in any form or fashion, but I know you.”

Lydia laughed. She threw her arms around Scott, and she kept laughing. She laughed so hard she started crying. Then she was crying tears of joy. Scott McCall was an Alpha. And he was the Alpha who had saved her.

Scott jumped down and opened his arms, gesturing for her to jump into them. She did, and Scott caught her easily. He kissed her, and he carried her all the way back to the fence.

  
*

  
When they got back to Scott’s house, they decided it was a good idea to have sex in the shower again before they left for dinner and the concert.

This time, the sex was more intimate, more passionate, than ever before. It wasn’t as full of lust as it always was. It was full of love and longing. She hadn’t had sex like that since college.

The finally got in the car to head for dinner. They were running late, however, so they went through a drive through and ate on the way to the amphitheatre, which was about an hour away.

On the ride there, Scott told her that he had tried to date as well.

“Yeah, her name was Maria. She worked at the Sanctuary last summer. We went out a couple of times. I never slept with her, though. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. She asked me if I wanted to after the second date - clearly she was fast.”

“The only reason we didn’t have sex after the second date was you.”

“I’m not going to ravage a woman after two dates!”

“I wanted to ravage you after the first five minutes of the first date.”

“Well, thank you. Anyway. She was a nice girl and all, but I broke it off. It just didn’t seem right. She wasn’t as brilliant as you. You challenge me in a way not many people can challenge me. People in high school may not have thought I was smart, but I was just distracted. Becoming a teen werewolf isn’t much fun.”

“Imagine trying to find out what the hell you are and still working to be the valedictorian. That’s even harder.”

“Whatever.”

“Whatever. I understand. Secretly, I’m really happy you didn’t sleep with her. But, I know that’s pretty hypocritical.”

Scott reached over and put his hand on Lydia’s back.

“It’s okay, Lydia. Really. Now, are you ready for the best night of your life?”

“Hell yeah,” Lydia said. She wasn’t going to be the Head of Research at NYU tonight. Tonight, she was going to be 20-year-old Lydia Martin, who was way more fun.

  
*

  
The concert was perfect. The natural amphitheater was a sight to see all its own, and Vampire Weekend was incredible. They were pretty close to the front, but not too close. Lydia couldn’t believe she was letting Scott stand behind her and put his arms around her waist. She felt like 15-year-old Lydia instead, but she enjoyed it. She enjoyed the feel of his body against her back. She felt safe in his arms.

On the way home, they reminisced about the entire concert, practically giving each other a play-by-play.

When they got back to Scott’s place, they simply put on their pajamas and got in the bed. They were worn out from the day.

Instead of making love, they simply held each other. Lydia didn’t want to fall asleep. She wanted to stay in that moment forever, being held by the only man in her life that really meant anything.

  
*

  
The next two days were almost a repeat of each other.

Wake up. Sex. Sanctuary. Sex in some part of the Sanctuary that Scott had always wanted to take her to (which always ended up being one of the most beautiful places Lydia had ever seen). Lunch. Scott working on a few animals while Lydia marveled at his work (and his hands). Dinner. And making love the rest of the night.

The morning sex and the afternoon sex felt more like sex. When they were back at Scott’s place, they felt more like making love. They were more gentle. It was more a necessity than fun. They needed each other. Needed to be complete. Needed to be one.

  
*

  
The last day Lydia was in Colorado, she woke up with a start. She had been dreaming of animals chasing her - thousands of big cats, bears, and wolves. She had jerked awake when Scott had been killed trying to save her.

“What? What it is?” Scott said quickly, turning to look at her with crazed eyes from being woken up.

“Nothing, just a dream.”

“What was it about?”

“You saving me.”

“I’ll always being doing that, won’t I?”

“Who else will save me?”

“I don’t mind at all.”

Lydia kissed him. She was about to pull away, when Scott put his hand behind her head and kissed her even harder. Lydia rolled on top of him and started kissing him like she wasn’t going to kiss him ever again. She was scared she wouldn’t.

This was their last day together.

“Lydia. Don’t leave.”

Lydia stopped. Her lips were still centimeters away from Scott’s lips.

“I have to go back, Scott,” she whispered. It was barely audible. She didn’t want to say it herself, but she knew it was true.

“Then let me come with you.”

Scott sat up, forcing Lydia to straddle him.

“But Scott, this is your dream job. They need you here. These animals need you.”

“Don’t you need me?” Scott asked. His head dropped.

Lydia’s heart shattered into a million pieces. Of course she needed him. She needed him more than she needed anything in the world.

“I need you. I’ve always needed you,” she said. She cupped his face in her hands and looked into his eyes. “But right now, our need is going to have to span half a country.”

Scott’s eyes teared up, and Lydia watched as tears started falling down his face. She reached up and wiped his tears away as hers began to fall.

They didn’t say another word for the next 2 hours.

They got out of bed, and Scott made breakfast while Lydia packed up her things and got ready. Breakfast was silent, and the car ride to the airport was the same.

Their hands were intertwined the entire way there. Lydia felt Scott’s grip tighten when he parked the car in short term parking.

“Scott, I-”

“No, let me say something.”

Lydia wasn’t prepared for the words that came out of Scott’s mouth.

“You saved me, Lydia Martin. You saved me a long time ago. You saved me in high school when I was a lost puppy leading a group of lost supernaturals. You saved me when we almost lost Stiles. You saved me when Allison broke me. You saved me in college when I didn’t know the answers to my homework. You helped me become a veterinarian. You are the only person that knows what I’m thinking before I think it, and you’re the only want I want standing beside me the rest of my life.

“I want you to be wife. I want you to be the Alpha with me. Because I’m not an Alpha when you’re not around. I’m no one without you.”

Lydia’s tears were flowing rapidly now.

“You’re everything to me, Lydia Martin. And goddammit, I just want you to be Lydia McCall.”

“I will be, Scott. I will be,” Lydia finally said. She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

“I know that now,” Scott said. Lydia was surprised by this. “I didn’t know when you left for your job, but I knew it the moment you called me last month. I knew you’d be mine forever, even if you’re in New York and I’m in Colorado. I’m… I’m saved.”

Lydia smiled.

“Even the smartest of creatures need to be saved.”

Scott glared at her, and they started laughing.

Scott opened his car door and walked around to her side of the car. He opened her door and helped her out.

On the way inside, Scott pulled Lydia’s bags behind him. She checked in, and they walked to the entrance of the security line.

“I’ll be seeing you, Scott McCall,” Lydia said.

“I can’t wait until I get to see you every morning, Lydia Martin,” Scott replied.

Scott put her bags down and kissed her. Kissed her like he’d never kiss her again. Kissed her harder than any of the other kisses that week.

Lydia pulled away, grabbed her bags, and without another word, walked into the security line.

She turned and looked at Scott McCall one last time. He waved, a goofy grin on his face.


End file.
